I’m With Her Unveils Extraordinary Stop-Motion Video for “Overland” Directed and Animated by Tobias LaMontagne

I’m With Her Unveils Extraordinary Stop-Motion Video for “Overland” Directed and Animated by Tobias LaMontagne

I’m With Her, the band of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and, and Aoife O’Donovan is releasing a video for “Overland” which features magnificent stop-motion animation painstakingly created by award-winning filmmaker Tobias LaMontagne. “Having the opportunity to create a video for “Overland” was really quite exciting for me. But the process did not come without its challenges,” he said.

LaMontagne describes the process: “Working with paper and shadows in stop-motion is a unique process, ultimately requiring extensive pre-production and running meticulously through all the details before shooting began. Lighting and angles were key in properly achieving the desired effect, often taking days to nail down the look and feel for certain shots. The project offered the perfect balance of time versus schedule, with principal photography broken into two blocks over eight weeks of shooting.”

“The sets were all built by hand from the bottom up. Each shot was often a mix of various elements filmed on the day that I then blended together in post-production. Because of the two-dimensional aspect of the film, there was quite a bit of flexibility with visuals and composing. The opportunity to take this song and bring it to life in animation was truly magical. As a filmmaker and animator, “Overland” was one of the most challenging and fulfilling projects I’ve had the pleasure to work on.”

The ballad’s plaintive, wistful lyrics mourn the narrator’s losses while looking ahead to the promise of a better life out west:

Goodbye brother, hello railroad
So long, Chicago
All these years, thought I was where I ought to be
But times are changing
This country’s growing
And I’m bound for San Francisco
Where a new life waits for me

The group is currently in the midst of a headlining tour of North America which includes several stops in New York and California and three Canadian dates. They will tour Australia in the early part of 2019.

See You Around has received accolades on both sides of the Atlantic. Writing in The Guardian, Emma John observed “Together their sound is both ethereal and purposeful, a combination of searing musicianship and tender vocals,” while Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times noted, “The Trio’s vocals and instrumentals share intimate sonic environment, closely recorded so listeners can almost feel their breath as they trade lines and blend voices.”

The New York Times’ John Pareless wrote, “I’m With Her’s songs are folky on the surface and skeletal, yet intricate within. They carry tales that are both intimate and far-reaching, involving heartbreak, separation, resilience, mortality and constant, restless travels.” He continued, “Sharing one microphone onstage was a subtle show of mastery, exposing every musical detail. The balance depended entirely on the trio’s meticulously plotted arrangements ad intent listening.”

Bob Boilen of NPR Music summed it up succinctly: “Purity is the brilliance behind I’m With Her.”